


Amortentia

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [61]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27741919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: Potions class brings some unexpected surprises and a dark revelation.
Relationships: Iki Hiyori/Yato
Series: In The Darkness [61]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/547369
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Amortentia

Yato, Hiyori and Yukine made it just in time for welcoming feast, their robes thrown on haphazardly and out of breath by the time they had stumbled into the Great Hall and seated themselves for Professor Tenjin’s speech.

The usual mindless pleasantries drilled through Yato’s head, and he couldn’t help but feel his stomach rumble. The Sorting Ceremony saw a new gaggle of students following behind Professor Tsuyu like ducklings to their mother, each being sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.

The announcements moved to generic warnings and information about the new school year; Professor Takemikazuchi was to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and whilst no one particularly liked him, at least he wasn’t a Deatheater.

Professor Tenjin’s final statement was to wish seventh years good luck on their upcoming exams and to warn them to study hard for the career they wanted.

Yato’s scoff was covered by the sudden rise in noise as the tables became laden with platters of food. Having failed some of his O.W.L.s exams, Yato would only be taking five N.E.W.T.s this year: Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures. He had managed to pass the first year of N.E.W.T.s, he just prayed he would do better this year.

Hiyori and Yukine, on the other hand, had passed all of their O.W.L.s with flying colours and would continue to do their N.E.W.T.s. At the thought, Yato’s eyes wandered across the room to Hiyori, finding her laughing beside Bishamon at Gryffindors table.

It was another bitter reminder that, for Yato, it was his last year at Hogwarts.

~

On Monday morning, Yato decided that he would spend his first period in Potions with Hiyori and Yukine. He didn’t particularly fancy spending class with his own year know that Nora was still around and discovered that her plan to send him back to London had failed, and he didn’t want to give her another opportunity to knock him out with a cauldron.

Besides, Madame Kofuku wouldn’t protest to an extra addition in her class, and she could keep an eye on him.

Yato made his way to the dungeons along with Hiyori and Yukine, their pewter cauldrons in hand and swinging. The walls were slick with warm water from the Great Lake overhead that had reached a tepid temperature over the summer, dripping into small puddles at their feet. He could hear the murmurings of students ahead, signaling that they were close to the classroom as the bell rang out distantly behind them.

They could hear Madame Kofuku instructing students to take jars of ingredients from the shelves followed by the clinking and shuffling of glass on wood.

“… love potion, Amortentia, which causes…”

Yato turned into the classroom, closely followed by Yukine and Hiyori and his eyes raked over the mess of potion spills that had stained the desks and floor. He heard Madame Kofuku’s greeting before he saw the whirl of pink come towards them, eyes bright and smiling. If there was any hint of concern she had for Yato following the prior year’s events, she masked it perfectly in front of onlooking students.

“Good morning,” Yukine and Hiyori returned the greeting, but it went largely unheard as Madame Kofuku turned to Yato with a slight crinkle in her brow. “What are you doing here? You’ll be late for your class.”

It took Yato a second to realise what she meant – a seventh-year in a sixth-year potions class with a few curious faces looking at him. He only realised that he was much taller than everyone in the class – as well as Madame Kofuku – and felt inexplicitly out of place.

“I was hoping I could join you in my free periods,” Yato said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “I didn’t do so well on my Potions N.E.W.T.s last year. I could do with practice.”

“And a certain witch tried to kidnap him,” Yukine said under his breath. He may have substituted ‘witch’ for a similar word, but either way, the expression was clear enough for Madame Kofuku to understand. She was aware of the issues Nora brought with her.

“Of course!” Madame Kofuku exclaimed. “We’re covering Amortentia today, do you remember how to make it?”

The name rang a vague bell in Yato’s head. A love potion, the one they heard her mention as they walked into class. “I think so.”

“Good, you can pair up with Hiyori and Yukine and show them how to make it.” Madame Kofuku nodded towards the edge of the classroom which was bedecked with sagging shelves that held every herb known to man.

Yato dumped his cauldron on a large table closest to the shelves alongside Hiyori’s and Yukine’s before turning his attention to the tower of ingredients. He heard the pages of a book flick open behind him, no doubt Yukine making sure Yato chose the right ingredients that wouldn’t blow up the classroom.

“Ashwinder eggs… rose petals… peppermint….” Yato murmured the ingredients as his eyes scanned the jars, plucking small vials off the shelf and into his hand as he went. Yato frowned, eyes quickly scanning the shelf again as Hiyori sidled up beside him. “Can you see moonstone?”

A second later Hiyori plucked a jar of small white stones off the lower shelf and passed it to Yato, her fingers brushing his as she did so. If Hiyori noticed the flinch Yato made at the unexpected contact, she didn’t show it.

“You forgot pearl dust,” Yukine said behind them.

Yato watched Hiyori’s fingers delicately pluck the missing ingredient from the second shelf and watched as she placed it in his hand, her fingernails just grazing his palm once again.

Hiyori stepped back to the table beside Yukine, and Yato – trying to ignore the lingering feeling of Hiyori’s soft fingers on his rough hand – joined them a moment later. Yato dropped the vials with a clatter over the table, popping the cork of the first one he could reach.

“ _Amortentia_ ,” Yukine cited, “ _is the most powerful love potion in the entire world. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession for the drinker. It has a different aroma for everyone who smells it, based on what the user finds most attractive_.”

Yukine whittled off the list of ingredients and began to read out each step of the potion, pausing so they could crush, cut, and stir in each ingredient until their mixture took on an iridescence.

“Once your potion is brewed smell the steam and tell your partner what you can smell,” Madame Kofuku called out to the class. She had taken a seat behind her desk and was watching the class with the faintest smile on her lips.

As if on cue, curly spirals of steam rose from each of their cauldrons. Yukine sniffed his potion once, twice, then wrinkled his nose.

“Earth and parchment,” Yukine announced. “Maybe sunflowers.”

Yato took a big whiff of his own potion and coughed. He looked at his own mix, which had turned to a pinkish sludge, and then at Hiyori’s. He looked between the two varying results and sighed. “I messed up.”

Hiyori peered into Yato’s cauldron and withdrew just as quickly as the strange smell rose up to greet her.

“Did you crush the rose petals?” Yukine asked, sounding surprisingly like Professor Takemikazuchi whenever he was disappointed in Yato during his first-year Potions class. “And stir _slowly_?”

Yato paused for a beat. “No and no.”

“You’re going to fail.”

Yato huffed and folded his arms. He looked at Hiyori – who was trying to hide her smile – and then at her cauldron. “What do you smell? Broomsticks and homework?”

Hiyori ignored the jibe and leaned forward slightly. She closed her eyes as the spirals encompassed her with heady scents she loved.

“Toothpaste.”

“That’s probably the peppermint,” Yato dismissed.

“Something sweet, like...” Hiyori inhaled deeply and paused, a small crease appearing on her brow.

“Well?” Yato prompted.

Hiyori frowned and drew back from the cauldron's steam, eyes opening and her head listing to the side slightly as she tried to piece together where she knew the scent from.

“I can’t explain it. It smells like Ya-.”

Hiyori cut off quickly and heat found her cheeks within seconds. Yato and Yukine peered at her curiously to the point she wanted to hide her face in her hands. She knew what she could smell, and she would rather die than admit it.

“Ya…?” Yukine asked.

Hiyori stole a glance at Yukine, and she could have sworn that from the teasing question and impish glint in his eye that he knew exactly what she was going to say.

“Yams,” Hiyori whispered the first thing she could think of.

Yato burst out laughing. “Why are yams so embarrassing? At least it’s not mud!”

“At least I can get the spell right,” Yukine shot back.

The bell rang out, signaling the end of class and saving Hiyori from further interrogation as to why yams were so attractive. Yato scooped up the vials and began placing them where he thought they belonged, giving enough time for Hiyori to catch Yukine’s eye.

Yukine’s eyes flicked to Yato and back to her. He winked and pressed a finger to his lips, telling Hiyori that her secret was safe with him.

The motion was gone as quickly as Yato turned around, completely oblivious and telling them they would be late for their next class. The remaining students had trickled out of the class by the time Yato, Hiyori and Yukine had dumping their cauldrons in the sink along the back wall.

They grabbed their bags from the floor and headed towards the door, but Madame Kofuku stood in their way. Softly, she closed the door and drew the bolt into the weathered stone hole, locking them in.

Madame Kofuku turned to them with a faint, apologetic smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I need to tell you something before I go. I would’ve told you sooner but using owls was too risky.”

Yato, Hiyori and Yukine gave Madame Kofuku quizzical looks but did not protest, even as the second bell rang out beyond the door.

“The Order has found something.”

Yato exchanged looks with Hiyori and Yukine. _An update on the Sorcerer?_ They looked back to Madame Kofuku.

“What is it?” Yato asked.

Madame Kofuku walked around the three of them and placed her hand on the desk and sighed. “You’re aware that the Sorcerer was defeated in the First Great Wizarding War, yes?”

They nodded. The Order of the Phoenix had first been formed back then by Professor Tenjin to help the Ministry defeat him. A legacy they were now continuing.

Madame Kofuku continued. “Defeated, not killed like we first thought, but it seems that the Sorcerer has taken extra precautions to ensure that he cannot be killed.”

A chill came over the room despite the warming lake overhead keeping them insulated. Yato felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as Madame Kofuku took another deep, regretful breath.

“In the Dark Arts, there is something so terrible that the Ministry won’t even tell us about it. It’s called a Horcrux; an object that holds a piece of soul that is torn away when the person commits murder.”

Yato, Yukine and Hiyori stayed silent, watching Madame Kofuku sink down into her chair. She looked between the three of them as she continued.

“We think the prophecy showed where the Sorcerer’s Horcruxes were hidden, which is why he needed to stop us from finding where they are.”

Madame Kofuku finished her statement and silence stole into the room for an agonising moment.

 _Horcrux…_ The word was as foreign to Yato as it was to Hiyori and Yukine. _How could such a thing exist?_

“So, you’re saying he’s immortal?” Yukine’s words sounded hollow in the cavernous room, although they rang like a nail in the coffin in Yato’s ears.

The Sorcerer couldn’t be defeated.

“For only as long as the Horcruxes survive,” Madame Kofuku corrected. “We’ve started the search, looking for clues from those who were pardoned Deatheaters under the Imperius Curse. They may know if the Sorcerer was preparing this in the First War.”

“How many are there?” Hiyori asked, and she cleared the dryness from her throat when the words came out hoarse. “How many Horcruxes?”

Yato felt his stomach plummet further at her next words.

“That’s the problem,” Madame Kofuku sighed. “We don’t know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Hiyori, what could you have smelled? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)   
> Hope you're enjoying the fic so far, thank you for all the comments and birthday wishes!


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